Emmys to split some awards categories, increase number of nominees for others

Even more changes are afoot for the Primetime Emmy Awards, especially in the Miniseries/Movie category. The Television Academy announced late Wednesday that several award categories have been altered “to ensure that the Primetime Emmy Awards accurately celebrates the excellence in our ever-evolving industry.” Among the shifts:

Outstanding Miniseries or Movie is getting splitIn 2011, two formerly separate categories were combined “due to a general industry downtrend of the genre,” the TV Academy writes. But after an uptick in quality miniseries and movies, the Academy has decided to separate the categories once more this year – though only for the overall program award. All other miniseries/movies awards will remain combined between both formats.

Outstanding Reality Program is getting split
The Emmys previously named both an Outstanding Reality Competition and an Outstanding Reality Program. The latter category will now be split into Outstanding Structured Reality Program – for series with set formats, such as Antiques Roadshow or Mythbusters – and Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program, for more free-wheeling series such as Pawn Stars or Duck Dynasty.

Outstanding Voice-Over is getting split
The Academy will now honor two different types of voice-over performance: Outstanding Narrator and Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance. “As with longform and reality, this split acknowledges and accommodates a general industry uptrend in the distinctly different achievements that are VO narration and VO character performance,” its release explains.

Increased number of nominees (and potential number of nominees)
There will now be six nominated directors, writers, and performers in the Miniseries/Movie category, and the winners will be selected via ratings-score vote – which means each voter will assign a score to each nominee, and the nominee with the highest score will win the award. Additionally, the TV Academy is changing the voting process for the Outstanding Comedy and Drama Series categories; under its new rules, each may now have as many as seven nominees.

Outstanding Technical Direction/Camerawork/Video is now an area award
Meaning that there’s now the possibility of more than one person winning the category. The number of nominees in the category will also increase from five to six.

This year’s Primetime Emmy Awards will air on Monday, Aug. 25 – yes, on a Monday; yes, in August – on NBC.